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VAR could be a sponsorship dream for football

Football's biggest competitions are exploring the sponsorship opportunities created by the introduction of video assisted referee technology (VAR). Fifa for the World Cup and La Liga in Spain are among those interested.

It has been estimated that VAR was on screen for 27 minutes during last year's World Cup. This is significant airtime given advertising during the finals of a big tournament can cost up to £600,000 a minute.

Independent sports marketing analyst Tim Crow told the Financial Times,'I think it is the biggest sponsorship asset that football has ever created. Most other advertising is on the side but VAR is in the middle of a game, part of a game. For a sponsor that is a dream come true.'

Fans are divided about VAR. Many think that it takes away the controversy away from a game and that even when examined in detail decisions such as handball are often not clear cut. Others argue that it prevents mistakes such as denying a penalty which could change the course of a game. In either case, they may not be too pleased to see 'VAR, sponsored by [betting company] or [drinks company]' appear on the screen.

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